AN ADMONITION TO THE NOBILITY AND PEOPLE OF ENGLAND AND IRELAND CONCERNING THE PRESENT WARS made for the execution of his Holiness Sentence, by the high and mighty King Catholic of Spain.  
By the CARDINAL of England.  
A o. M. D. LXXXVIII.   

Gulielmus miseratione Divina S. R. E. Tituli San ti Martini in Montibus Cardinalis Presbyter de Anglianuncupatus, Cunctis Regnorum Angliae & Hiberniae Proceribus populis & personis, omnibusque Christi fidelibus salutem in Domino sempiternam.  
Right honourable worshipful and most dearly beloved in our lord, no man can be ignorant that either by report, reading, or remembrance, list look back, not much further than fifty years paste, that this great misery, and mutation of state and Religion in this our realm of England by which our Church (Alas) is already overthrown, our country in extreme terms of perishing, and ourselves with what so ever is dear unto us, in daily dread of destruction and damnation proceeded not first of the subjects disorder or disobedience to their kings (as else where Heresy often doth) and as we see in many of the next nations unto us it presently happeneth, where popular mutiny against their magistrates, hath caused their like calamity: But begun first and wholly in effect, by our King that then was, Henry the eight, and afterward till this day, hath been specially pursued, by our prince's pretenced laws, and usurped sovereignty over our souls, to the which our Nobilité, Priests and people, by force and fear, have rather been drawn then by lawful consent yielded thereunto.  

job. 14.  And albeit wicked and hypocritical kings, be suffered sometimes or sent from God, for the subjects sins and for our offences, great no doubt and grievous in every estate (let none excuse themselves, let none accuse others;) and that we hereby, may worthily also be thought to have deserved both our princes fall, and our 
1. Reg. 13.  own punishment, according to Gods most holy commination, that when his people should cease to serve him in truth, and commit wickedness, both they & their king should perish together: Nevertheless, to see and know the place specially affected, and the next immediate surge of all our sores▪ where we expect remedy and not ruin, is necessary for our recovery. Wherein, though the case have long seemed well near desperate, yet God himself not forget full of his old mercies, beholding from heaven our not voluntary but coacted miseries, and our most holy and zealous father in Christ Sixtus the fift, his highest Minister, and our chiefest magistrate and master in earth, to whom our Saviour hath given Apostolic power to take vengeance upon disobedience, moved by the sorrows and sighs of so many afflicted souls, and instant prayers of all Christian people that pity our enforced perishing in Schism and Heresy, doth give us at this time, both better means, more hope, and readier help, than we could ever possibly have either deserved or the: yea they have (not the pope alone but God himselst surely, and other the most zealous and mightiest Princes in Christendom by his Induction) taken the whole care of our case into their own hands, and that with such sincere intention (whereof myself can best bear witness and assure you my dear countrymen) and in such sweet moderate & merciful sort, that in the appliance of the prepared remedy, neither the corpse of our commonwealth, need to feel or fear any distress, nor any part, (other than the principal affected, and sum such few as will not follow this offer of God's ordinance) be wroonge or wrinched thereby. For albeit of ten else, in likecase of revolt from God's Church and our father's faith, not only the kings, but also their countries, after divers dreadful Censures and Sentences, have been by supreme authority of Christ's vicar, given up to Invasion, wars, wastes, and final destruction, and we now might by way of rigour and extreme justice, be both charged & chastised far more deeply than the Church of Theatira for tolerating 
Apo. 2.  the wicked jesabel, not now as then calling herself a prophetess, but the very chief spiritual governess under God, to teach and deceive God's servants, and to force them to fornication, to eat bread of Idolatry in Schismati call service. And also for that, by error of conscience or want of couragc, we have so long unnaturally subdued our souls to our bodies, hazarded our eternal salvation, to save our transitory substance, obeyed man more than God, preferred the temporal title, not only of lawful civil authority, but of manifold usurped Tyranny, above the supreme Bishops spiritual sovereignty 
Mat. 16. Io. vl●.  raignty, by Christ's express word established on earth, yielding to the one most servilely as to our household and home God, and as to a very national idol, subjection both of body and soul, & thereby disobeying, disgraceing despising, and blaspheming the other, as a foreign power, or rather as a strange devil or Antechriste 
Deut. 17 Luc. 10. Num. 16.  (a thing punishable in the old law by death reputed inthe new for express contempt of Christ's own person, revenged in Core and his confederates by fearful fire from heaven, by horrible gaping of the ground they stood upon and by sudden sinking down to hell.) Yet all this notwthstandinge, the Pope's holiness, who according to his Apostolic benignity, wholly inclined to mercy, following God's rule and example rather of sparing the wicked for the good, then punishing the innocent for the evil, that the soul which sinneth only may perish, doth most mercifully forget and forgive all the premises, aswell in the whole body of the common wealth as in every particular person, that is penitent and weary of these horrible disorders and treasons committed against God, the See Apostolic, holy Church, and our country (incorrigible persons, and principal procurers of these mischiefs only excepted) and only meaneth in Christ's word and power given unto him, and in zeal of God's house, to pursue the actual deprivation, of Elizabethe the pretenced Queen, eftsoons declared and judicially sentenced, by his Holiness predecessors, PIUS QVINTUS and GREGORY the XIII. for an heretic and usurper▪ and the proper present cause of perdition of millions of souls at home, and the very bane of all Christian kingdoms and states near about her. That in this one woman's condign correction, God's mighty arm that deposeth the proud and powrable persons from their 
Luc. 1.  seats may be feared and glorified, and the horrible and wicked outrages of Henry the eight her supposed father's house and person, together with God's vengeance on the same, may in sum measure of his justice be accomplished, and our whole people put in happy hope of salvation and full freedom of conscience again, that all the 
Psal. 5●  just of the earth may say. Lo this is she that took not God for her strength, but trusted to her treasures and prevailed in her wickedness. And that all the world, and namely our own nation and people, to whom the matter so nearly appertaineth, may thoroughly judge aswell of this woman's and her parent's deserts, as of his Holiness and his mighty and godly confederates most happy intention; and how justly and nedefullie for our only benefice and succour, they proceed at this present to her chastisement and deposition; It may please all my most dear countrymen▪ and specially our peers and Nobility, on whom the ancient honour and liberty of our church and country chiefly dependeth, and by whose sword and kinghtehood (specially given to them and their noble progenitors for defence of the Catholic religion) our country hath often been delivered from the tyranny and vexation of divers disordered insupportable kings and cruel usurpers. May it please them (I say) to consider but a little with me, the condition of the person pursued, and censured by God's Church, together with the weight, qualety, & number of her offences, and horrible crimes, which being open almost to all the world before, and now briefly recorded by this writing, no man (I trust) shall marvel why Christ's vicar here in earth, with other high ministers of God's justice, would or could deprive this tirante of her usurped state and dominion, when no commonwealth by law of nature neither would nor might justly suffer any such, to rule or reign over any human society, though neither Christ, Pope, faith, nor religion were known.  

The chief points of this admonition.  To proceed therefore briefly and plainly we will set down what manner of woman she is against whom this holy enterprise is made; of whom and in what manner dissended; How intruded into that dignity wherein she standeth; How she hath behaved herself both at home and abroad; By what laws of God and man her punishment is pursued; How just, honest, and necessary causes all true Englishmen have to embrace & set forward the same, seeing it proceedeth from so lawful authority, so just grounds, so holy intentions, and tendeth to so happy an end, and is to be executed by so sure and sweet means, and chosen persons, as now shall be declared.  
And first of all it is notorious to the whole world, that Henry the supposed father to this pretenced Queen, besides the infinite quantety and enormeous qualety, of his most execrable wickedness, for the which by all law of religion, reason, & nature, he deserved often times to be deprived, was in fine, for his horrible sacrileges, murdering of Saints, and rebellion against God's Church, lawfully excommunicated and deprived by Paulus tertius in the year 1535▪ and there withal by name and in particular all the issue that should proceed of his incestuous copulation with Anne Bullen, was most justly declared illegitimate and uncapable of succession to the crown of England: and that aswell by the sentence of the said Paul, and of his predecessor Clement the VII. in the year of our lord 1533. (both which stand in their full force still) as by sundry acts of parliament made by Henry himself and never repealed legitimating her sister and declaring her to be base, she must needs be adjudged by law & nature unable to inherit the crown.  
Neither may she here allege, that by consent of the states and Commonwelthe she is lawfully possessed: for that by force she intruded, and constrained many men to give their consents, deposing unjustly the Lords of the Clergy without whom no lawful Parliament can be holden in that Realm, nor Statute made which hath force to authorize Prince or bind Subjects. Over and beside that she never had consent nor any approbation of the See Apostolic, without which, she nor any other can be lawful King or Queen of England, by reason of the ancient accord, made between Alexander the. III. the year 1171. and Henry the II. then king when he was absolved for the death of saint Thomas of Canterbury that no man might lawfully take that Crown nor be accounted as King, till he were confirmed by the sovereign Pastor of our souls which for the time should be: This accord afterwards being renewed, about the year 1210. by King john, who confirmed the same by oath to Pandulphus the Pope his legate, at the special request and procurement of the Lords and Commons, as a thing most necessary for preservation of the Realm from unjust usurpation of Tyrants, and avoiding other inconveniences which they had proved, and might easily fall again by the disorder of some wicked King.  
But howsoever she be dissended or possessed of the crown, her manifold wickedness hath been, so heinous and intolerable that for the same she hath been in person justly deposed by the sentences of three sundry Popes, whereunto if we add the two former censures condemning her incestuous nativity and generation, we shall find that she hath been condemned by five declaratory judicial sentences of God's Church.  

Personable crimes of Elizabeth, and first of Heresy.  And to begin with the highest and most heinous crime of all against God and his Church, she is convicted of many damnable heresies, and open rebellion against God's Church and See Apostolic, for which she is so notoriously known, termed and taken for an heretic, aswell at home as abroad, that she was glad to provide by a special act of parliament, that none should call her heretic, Schismatic, Tyrant, usurper, or infidel, under pain of high treason.  

She arrogateth spirtivall dignity.  She usurpeth by Luciferian pride, the title of supreme Ecclesiastical government, a thing in a woman, in all men's memory unheard of, nor tolerable to the masters of her own sect, and to Catholics in the world most ridiculous, absurd, monstrous, detestable, and a very fable to the posterity.  

Bastardy.  She unlawfully intruded herself, as before I have said, in to possession of the crown of England, and the annexed dominions not by any dissent of inheritannce or other lawful title, but only by enforced unjust partly made by her supposed father being then an excommunicated person, and partly coacted by herself and her coplices in the beginning of her pretended reign, being indeed taken and known for an incestuons bastard, begotten and borne in sin, of an infamous courtesan Anne Bullen, after ward executed for adultery, treason, heresy and incest, amongst others with her own natural brother, which Anne, her said supposed father kept by pretenced marriage▪ in the life of his law full wife, the most renonmed and blessed lady Queen Katherine, daughter of Castill and Ara gone, as he did before unnaturally know and kepe both the said Anne's mother and sister.  

Perjury and impiety.  She is guilty of perjury and high impiety for that she did break, violate, and deride, the solemn oath and promise made in her coronation, for defence of the Ecclesiastical liberties and privileges granted by the ancient Christian kings of our realm, and for the contempt of the holy ceremony used in the annointing and investing of all faithful princes: where in her wickedness was so notorious, that the principal Prelate that then was in the realm, and to whom by ancient order (the Cardinal of Canterbury then being dead) that function appertained, durst not for fear of God, and respect of his conscience, nor did not anoint her.  

abolishing Catholic Religion.  She did immediately upon her said intrusion, violently against all law and order (the whole Clergy, and many of the nobility and commons constantly reclaminge) to the predition of infinite souls, abolis he the whole Catholic Religion, and faith, that all the former faithful kings of our country honourably lived and died in; repealing at the same time all the godly acts that Queen Marie the only lawful daughter of King Henry the eight, made for the reconcilement of the realm, to the unite of God's universal Church again; and revived all the impious statutes, made by her foresaid supposed father and brother against God, the Church, the See Apostolic, & all innocency, by which she severed herself and subjects violently from the society of all Catholic countries, and from the fellowship of all faithful princes and priests in the world.  

Prophaninge Sacraments.  She did at the same time abolish or profane all the holy sacraments of Christ's Church, and above other in particular, the very blessed and sovereign sacrifice of Christ's body and blood, errectinge for the same, and in disgrace thereof, high idolatry, and polluted bread of schism and abominable desolation.  

forbidding preachers.  She did shut up both pulpits and Churches from all Catholic priests, preachers, and people, caused all Gods public true ancient honour, service, and solemnity, throughout the whole realm of England (a most lamentable case) and not long after in Ireland, to cease upon one day, constraining by great penalties and extreme punishment many thousand poor christian souls of every degree and sex, to forsake that faith and religion, in which they and all their forefathers were baptized and brought up, ever since the realm was first converted▪ to Christ, to the great torment of their minds and consciences and shortninge of their days.  

Prophaninge of churches and all holies.  She impiously spoilt all sanctified places of their holy Images, Relics, memories, and monuments of Christ our Saviour, and of his blessed mother and Saints, her own detestable cognisance and other profane portraitures and paintings exalted in their places: and therewith hath overthrown, destroyed & rob, all holy altars, chalices, vestments, Church books, and sacred vessels, with what so ever was consecrated to God's true worship▪ and the reverence of Christian religion, in the ancient Apostolic ministry of the holy sacraments.  

violating sacred persons.  She hath ceased upon the sacred persons of Gods anointed, even of very Bishops that had charge of her own soul, called them to account for their preaching and doctrine, convented them before her profane counsellors and commissioners, deposed and imprisoned them with all others that were of learning and dignity among the Clergy, till by the misery of their captivité they be in effect wholly worn and wasted away.  

Impious scornefulnes.  She hath caused the Priests of God violently to be plucked from the altar in the midst of the sovereign action, and to be carried in scornful manner revested through the streets, and exposed to all the ungodly villainy, irrision, fury, and folly of the simple and barbarous people: a thing certes that above all other kinds of irreligiosity most deserveth and soonest procureth God vengeance.  

Suppression of more nasteries.  She hath suppressed all the religious houses of both sexes, so many as were restored after her father's former horrible spoil, dispersed the professed of the same, and rob them of all their lands and possessions.  

Oppression of Catholic Gentlemen▪ and extorsion.  She hath by unjust tyrannical statutes injuriously invaded the lands and goods of Catho like Nobles and gentlemen, that for conscience sake have passed the seas: and molested, disgraced, imprisoned, and spoiled, many at home of all degrees, because they would not give oath and agreement, to her Antichristian, and unnatural proud challenge of supremacy, nor honour the Idol of her profane communion board, whereby sum provinces, be in manner wholly bereaved of their just gentlemen in administration of the laws, & the people exceedingly annoyed by loss of so good lords, and so great houskepers, for lack of whom, the poor daily perish.  

Destruction of the Nobility.  Besides all which sacrileges abominations and extortions against God his Church and her own people, she passingly hath endangered the kingdom and country by this great alteration of religion, which thing is never with out inevitable peril, or rather sure ruin of the common wealth; as also she hath done by great contempt and abasing of the ancient nobility, repelling them from due government, offices, and places of honour, thrusting them to shameful and odious offices of inquisition upon Catholic men, to the great vexation and terror of their own consciences, forcing them through fear and desire of her favour, and of her base leaders, to condemn that in others, which in their hearts and consciences themselves like of, and putting into their houses and chambers, traitors, spials, delators, and promoters, that take watch for her of all their ways, words, & writings; by which the principal be already 
Norfolk Northumberland▪ was mere land, Da cres etc.  ruined most lamentably, and the rest stand in continual thraldom danger and dishonour: so jealous be all tyrants and usurpers, of their state, and so loath they are to be seconded by any other then of their own creation.  

New Nobility.  She hath in stead of the foresaid, and to their shame and despite, advanced base and unpure persons, inflamed with infinite avarice and ambition, men of great partiality bribery and iniquity, to the highest honours and most profitable offices of her court and country, repelling from all public action, charge and authority, under colour of religion, the wisest, Codliest, lernedst, and sincerest of all sorts of men, to the special annoyance and dishonour of the whole state.  

New Clerglie.  She hath intruded the very refuse of the worst sort of mortal men, infamons amorous apostates and heretics, to all the spiritual dignities and preferments in the realm, who by their insatiable covetousness and concupiscence, have made lamentable havoc, waste, and destruction of the anncientest (well-near) and honourablest spiritual states in Christendom, herself not a little helping to the spoil of the same.  

Harboringe strangers.  She hath laid the country wide open to be a place of refuge and sanctuary of all Atheystes, anabaptists, heretics, and rebellious of all nations, and replenished sundry the cost towns and other, with innumerable strangers of the worst sort of malefactors and sectaries, to the great impoverishing of the inhabitants, and no small peril of the whole realm: this being taken to be certain, that the number and quality of them is such, that when time may serve and favour them, they may give a sturdy battle to the inhabitants of the realm.  

Po●●nge the peaple.  She hath not spared to oppress her subjects (never having just wars with any king or country in the world) with manifold exactions not only by ordinatie means of more frequent and large subsidies (for which only end she hath had more parliaments and more often prorogations thereof then ever any lawful prince had, in so many years) but also by sundry shameful guiles of lotaries, laws, decrees, & falls of money and such like deceits: and hath employed the riches of the realm to set up and sustain Rebels and Heretics against their natural princes, to the great dishonour of our nation, damage and danger aswell of our merchants, as of all other travailers; a public piracy and robbery both by sea and land, therewith authorizing by her letters of mart, and otherwise permitting, divers wicked persons to spoil whom they list, without sparing, sum piece of the gain returning to sum of her own chief counsellors and officers.  

Selling of laws  She doth for money and bribes, to the enriching of herself and servants, by licenses, dispensations, pardons, and permissions, abolish or frustrate many profitable laws: as she doth to the same end multiply sundry frivolous acts, with great sorfets to the transgressors▪ wittingly forbearing (as it may be thought) the execution of the same, that after oblivion of the observation thereof, her courtiers and other lost Cosines and companions (whom her excessive avarice will not suffer to reward of her own) may make pray by promoting the poor people, & so live and feed on the carcase of the commonwealthe: yea even suck out the very bludd of poor afflicted Catholic men's consciences, who besides those sacrilegious mass mulctes, and the new made spoils and intolerable extortions, for not coming to their damnable Idolatry of the communion, (which for the love of God's law they often incur and sustain, to the utter lamentable ruin of them & their posterity) be feign by great importable gifts to procure at her officers hands, sum little ease and release of the intolerable fears and miseries that they live in. By which wicked traffic and other pitiful pillage of the people, sum of her creatures are grown so great insolent, that all states & degrees within the Realm stand in awe and danger of them.  

D●ytester  In which sort, besides others whom we need not note, she hath exalted one special extorsioner, whom she took up first of a Traitor & worse than naught, only to serve her filthy lust, whereof to have the more freedom and interest, he (as may be presumed, by her consent) caused his own wife cruelly to be murdered, as after ward for the accomplisment of his like brutis 
The Earl of Essex.  he pleasures with an other noble dame it is openly known he made away her husband; who now of an amorous minion advanced to high office, degree, & excessive wealth, is becum her chief leader in all her wicked and unwonted course of regiment her instrument of the destruction of the nobility, by many indirect means, & of the ruining, abasing, disgracing▪ dizauthorizing divers ancient houses names and persons of renown; besides innumerable of the communality perished most pittifulie in sundry provinces for the feeding of his infinite avarice and other his unsatiable companions & reteinors, living only of bribery, spoil, and robbery: whereby, and through the favour of the pretended he hath this n any a year overruled the chamber, court counsel, parliament, ports, forts, Seas, Ships, borders, men, munition, and all the country; hath had still at commandment all officers justices, Benches, Bars & Sessions, hath had the sale and monopoly of all laws, offices, licenses, cornets, bishoprics, benefices and Colleges; hath made such traffic▪ hopping & changing with his mistress, about the treasures, prerogatives, lands, and commodeties of the crown, that so & by diverse unspeakable treacheries, he hath enabled and fortified himself far above the measure of any English subject, and hath been the principal disturber and destroyer of the provinces round about us, to the impoverishment of the people at home, and decay of all traffic abroad, with extreme peril of the land.  

Her dishonest life.  With the foresaid person and divers others she hath abused her body, against God's laws, to the disgrace of princely majesty & the whole nations reproach▪ by unspeakable and incredible variety of lust, which modesty suffereth not to be remembered▪ neither were it to chaste ears to be uttered how shamefully she hath defiled and infamed her person and country, and made her Court as a trap, by this damnable and detestable art, to entangle in sin and overthrow we the younger sort of the nobility and gentlemen of the land, whereby she is become notorious to the world, & in other countries a common fable for this her turpitude, which in so high degree namely in a woman and a Queen, deserveth not only deposition, but all vengeance both of God and man, and cannot be tolerated with out the eternal infamy of our whole cun rye, the whole world deriding our effeminate dastardy, that have suffered such a creature almost thirty years together, to reign both over our bodies and souls, and to have the chief regiment of all our affairs aswell spiritual as temporal, to the extinguishing not only of religion but of all chaste living and honesty. 
Refusing 〈…〉 .  
She could never be restrained from this incontinence though the principal peers of the realm and others of high authority as deputies from the whole parliament and estates, made humble suit and supplication to her, that for pity and compassion of their desolate case, and of the danger that the whole realm, and specially the nobility should be in, yfshe deceased without lawful issue, in such a number of competitors of the crown, she would therefore marry and procure (if it were God's pleasure) lawful heirs of her body to inherit her dominions after her: to whom sometimes she merely and mockingly answered, that she would die a maiden Queen, but afterwards in contempt and rebuke of all the states of the realm, and to the condemnation of chaste and lawful marriage (where unto as to a bridle of her licentiousness, she is enemy) she forced the very parliament itself to give consent and to provide by a pretended law, not tolerable (nor ever I trow heard of before in a Christian free people) that none should so much as be named for her successor during her life, saving the natural, that is to say bastard borne child of her own body. A wonderful thraldone, a lamentable case, that this high court of old so renowned for freedom and justice, should now be at the devotion of one woman so far, as to authorize both her shameful incontinency & pernicious obstinacy against the honour and good of the whole realm: having no cause in the world why the next lawful heir may not better bear the naming, than her unlawful long concealded or feigned issue, saving that it might be prejudicial to her private & pray sent peace, which she ever prefferreth before the public; as she presumeth upon the experience and late remembrance of her own wicked practices against her sovereign, when the time 
Her treae sons against queen Maria  was, measuring all other by her own impatient ambition: but indeed it proceedeth specially, upon the agnizing of her unrightful possession, usurpers always standing in more awe of the next heir and successor, then lawful princes commonly do.  

The pretence of marriage. The Earl of Arundel & others. The Earl of Arran. the K. of Swethen. Archeduke Charles▪ the Duke of Holst. Henri now king of France. Monseur Alencon.  She, all this notwithstanding, in the mean season, as often before and afterward, promised marriage to sum of the nobility at home, making many of them in single life to the danger of their souls, and decay of their famelies, to attend her pleasure: & no less deeply dallied & abused by dissembly almost all the great personages of Europe, to whom aswell by letters, as by solemn Embasses, she proffered herself, to the mockery & final delulion of them all, to her own infamy, and the danger of her people, and specially of late years she hath most pitifully and devilishly abused, the late noble brother of France, by manifold hope and promise of her marriage and crown, by which bait, and her deceitful suggestion, the poor young gentleman was driven in to those dangerous actions and dishonourable affairs of Heretics and rebels, to his great dishonour, and likely shuttling of his days.  

Her unnatural affection to wards the country.  By all which dishonourable & unworthy dea linge, the whole world may see that in Atheism & Epicurism, she would (if it were possible and might be suffered as she hath begun) turn the life and whole weal of our country once most flourishing, to the feeding of her own desordered delights, being loath no doubt that any thing should be left after her life, that her rage and riot had not overrun, or that her realm should be extant any longer than she might make pleasure of it; most glad (as may seem) that so flourishing and ancient a commonwealth which she hath in manner brought to destruction in her life, might be buried in her ignominious ashes when she is dead. Wherein her affection is so passing unatural, that she hath been heard to wish, that the day after her death she might stand in sum high place between and earth, to behold the scambling that she conceived would be for the crown; sporting herself in the conceit and foresight of our future miseries, by her only unhappiness procured: not unlike to Nero, who intending for his recreation to set Rome on fire, devised an eminent pillar whereon himself might stand to behold it, but so God may provide for her, and us, that she may see and feel sum part of this pastime in her days, or rather she only and a few of her Complices feel the pain, who alone or principally have deserved it, if we be so wise as to follow God's ordinances.  

Consede ration with rebels.  Besides all these outrages in her person and regiment, and beside sundry wicked attempts, and treasons before she came to the crown, against her prince & country at home, she hath showed such faithless dealing towards all near neighbours most just mighty and Catholic kings abroad, that it is almost incredible: Sum she hath ignominiously spoiled of great treasures; One that fled to her for promised succour and safety yea even her that was our true lawful and worthy sovereign, she hath against all law of God, nature, and nations, after long imprisonment at length also murdered; of ●um she hath surprised towns and territories; with sum she hath in great simulation offreindship, in effect broken most ancient lea gues and amity; against them all, she hath not only notoriously confederated herself with their rebels, Hugonotes, Geuses, publicans, & Male contents, giving them great succour both of men munition and money, with much continual encouragement and counsel in all their wicked attempts: but was and yet is known to be the first & principal fountain of all these furious rebellions, in Scotland, France, & Flanders, to the fall almost ofall their whole states, & the great calamity of the Churcheof God, where by it is evident to all the world that herself reigneth unlawfuly as an usurper and rebel, who only standeth and holdeth herself up all this while, by joining with Traitors and rebels, and succoringe them against their lawful princes and sovereigns.  

Her league with the Turks.  In this kind she hath by the execrable practices of sum of her cheese ministers, as by their own hands, letters, and instructions, and by the party's confessions it may be proved, sent abroad exceeding great numbers of intelligensers, spies, and practisers, in to most princes courts, cities, and commun wealths in Christendom, not only to take and give secret notice of princes intentions, but to deal with the discontented of every state for the attempting of sum what against their lords and superiors, namely against his holiness and the King of 
In fanes instructions.  Spain his majesty, whose sacred persons they have sought many ways wickedly to destroy, as furthermore it is evident, how she hath by messengers and letters, dealt with the cruel and dreadful Tirante and enemy of our faith the Great Turk himself, (against whom our noble kings have in old time so valiantly fought, and vowed themselves to all perriles and peregrinations) for the invasion of sum parts of Christendom, and interception of sum defensible ports and places of the same, as for the disturbance of Christianity and annoyance of the principal defenders of the Catholic religion, she hath at this day a ledgar in his court.  
By which Machivelian, godless, and consciencelesse course, injust usurped regiments be always conducted; advanced not by counsel or courage, but by plain trumpery, treason, & cozenage, working their own peace, wealth, and felicity, by their neighbour's wars, woe, and misery, which never endeth well, nor dureth long, nor is in fine unrevenged; though the present prosperity, upholden by others calamity, hath averted the sense the simple & worldly, from the beholding of that extreme plague, which always both by God's justice, and man's revenge ensueth of the same.  

●●er'extreme pri●●  Which long felicity, not withstanding, hath so puffed up this usurper in presumption & pride of heart, that besides all other insolences and glorious vanetyes and vaunts in her words, cracks, countenances, and gestures, in all her life and behaviour (in which kind she exceedeth all creatures living,) she hath caused the annual day of her coronation in all parts of the realm to be sacredly kept and sollemnised, with ringing, singing, shows & ceremonies, & far more vacation from all servile labours then any day either of our blessed lord or lady, & which is more abominable, having abolished the solemn feast of our blessed lady's nativity, she hath caused her own impure birth day to be solemnly celebrated, and put in to the calendar the very eve of the said holy feast and put out the name of an other saint the 17. of November, to place the memory of her Coronation: God grant she may repent, least in stead of her `excessive praises that her favourers and flatterers now give unto her, she hear yet in her own days, the saying of the prophet against the proud prince Nabuchodrnosor: how diddest 
Esa. 14.  thou fall Lucifer from heaven, that wast so orient in the moringe? how wast thou brought down to the ground that woundedst nations, that subvertedst kingdoms, and saidst in thy heart, I will be like the highest? or feel the plague of one of the Herodes that for to to much delighting in the people's praises & acclamations, and for not giving glory to God▪ was suddenly stricken by God's angel, eaten of worms, and died.  

Obstinas in mali●●  Now of all these heinous horrible facts, not credible almost to be acheived by one woman, and her complices not so many, she hath in fine showed herself incorrigible, and altogether impatiet of admonition, whereof she never had want, aswell by the writings of sundry her learned subjects, as sometimes by the Imperial Majesty, and other temporal Princes, and namely by divers holy Popes, whose Nuntios she would never admit to tell her (as of duty they thought themselves bonude) Gods threatenings for all her foresaid and many other intolerable 
Her excommunication and contempt thereof.  disorders of belief, life, & government. But to accomplish all other impiety, and to show herself wholly sold to sin, she hath now eighteen years stood stubbornly, contemptuously, and obduratly, as in the sight of God by her own wilful separation through schism and heresy judged & condemned before, so now by name notoriously excommunicated and deposed in the word of Christ and omnipotent power of God by sentence given against her by holy Pius the fift the highest court of religion under the heavens. The which state of excommunication (though presently of the faithless, where there is no Sense of religion, it be not felt nor feared) is most miserable, most horrible, & 
〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉  most near to damnation of all things that may happen to a man in this life: far more grievous 
Aug. lib. 1. contra Faust cap. 17.  (sayeth a certain glorious Doctor) then to be hewn in pieces with a sword▪ consuned by fire or devoured of wild beasts and it is expressed in the scriptures by the state of king Pharaoh his obduration and excecation in wilful wickedness.  

She murdered the executors of the Pope's sentence.  And she hath not only continued in this damnable contempt of the holy Church's Censures so long as we have said, but also commanded and caused the publishers, defenders, approvers, and all others that attempted most honourably & godly the execution thereof aswell of the nobility as the Clergy and commons, sum being apprehended at home, and others traitorously bought and sold abroad and sent home, & all in cruel manner murdered, yea and for their parts very willingly martyred to their eternal estimation, rather than they would live, serve, or see any such heretic, Atheiste, and usurper, from whose pretenced kingly authority, they weet in consideration of all these her heinous crimes, clearly by Christ's own vicar, & the warrant of all the faithful world (that never took itself bound to obey a condemned heretic or an Apostata) before God and man discharged.  

The murder of bishops and priests.  In which her obstinacy and Satanical obduration daily increasing she hath these late years imbrued her hands and country with the sacred blood of a number of most innocent▪ learned, and famous religious men, yea & holy bishops 
The archbishop of Casseles, and the Bishop of Mayon.  also aswell in England as Ireland, caused them pitifully to be racked, rend, chained, famished, beaten, buffeted, derided, abused, and by false accusation of crimes never intended, under pretence of treason against her usurped state and person, to be finally with all cruelty executed to the regret and shame of our nation and wonder of all the world. And finally to accomplish the measure of all her inhuman cruelty, she hath this last year barberouslie, unnaturally against the law of nations by a statute of riot and conspiracy, murdered the lady Marie of famous me morie, Queen of Scotland, dovager of France, 
The slaughter of the queen of scotland.  God's Anointed, her next kinswoman, and by law and right the true owner of the crown of England.  

The justice of the sentence▪ against Elizabeth.  All which her open enormities, and other her secret wickedness hidden from us (which must needs be great, and not numerable, in a Caitiff so long under Gods and holy Churches curse, & given up into a reprobate sense and hardness of heart) may put all faithful and reasonable men out of doubt, of the justice of the Apostolic sentence and censure against her: being well assured that if any case may fall, in which a Prince may justly be forsaken or resisted by his subjects, or if any crime in the world either in life, regiment, or religion, can deserve deposition of a king, that here all causes together do concur in the person of the pretenced, in the highest degree; None ever not amongst the heathen, so unprofitable, so evil, so faithless, so pernicious, no realm ever so far fallen from religion, public honesty, order and sincerity, as ours hath done in her unhappy usurped government.  

A necessati consideration.  And here we may behold, the pitiful race of an unbridled powrable sinner (woe be to our offences that have deserved the experience of solamentable a case) this unworthy woman's supposed father, frist, as now herself afterward, by reason of their height of earthly power, free from civil chastisement, could not be content therewith▪ till they had also discharged themselves of all remorse of conscience, of all awe of religion, of all spiritual discipline, & put themselves in full freedom from Pope, Prelate, Prophet, Priest, and ghostly father (an example for all common weal thes in the world to beware of by us, for ever) & therefore not only in their hearts said against God & his anointed, Let us shake of their yoke and break their bonds a sunder; But openly and boldly both said, and made themselves heads of the Church & spirtualtie, aswell now of the souls, as they were before of the bodies: That all life, faith, religion, Church, counsel, conscience, scripture, Sacrament, ceremony, & what soever was i heaven or earth, might whollis hang at their hands, lusts, & likings. At which licentious irreligiosity, & Antichristian pride, though the highest in heaven do in the mean time laugh, & by long patience not only forbear the present revenge thereof, but also by secret judgement for the parties increase of damnation, or expectation of their repentance, or the people's deservings, suffer it in them by continual prosperité & prevailing against the good, to be much confirmed & increased, yet these stubborn Nemroths, that aspire so far, and would overreach the highest, can not, nor shall not escape God's ire, and furious wrath, neither in this life nor in the next. Fear not my dear countrymen, fear not, one generation is not yet past since this wickedness began; trust now in God▪ & in this self generation it shall be revenged, and in the person of this the foresaid kings supposed daughter (in whose parents concupiscence, all thiscalamity was conceived) shallbe both punished & ended.  

Psal. ●6. & 7●.  Have patience therefore a little, and marvel not to see the ungodly flourish and feed himself with the wealth of the world: nothing being a more sure sign of wrath, to come, nor more unlucky to a mortal man, specially to a Prince, then to have prosperité and good luck in wickedness, and so to be beset wholly with flatterers that rock him a sleep in the peace of sin, that he may neither hear his duty, nor bear check or chastisement for the same.  

God's providence to wards princes.  It was Gods great providence (who by his prophet warned kings to take discipline, and to serve him in fear, least in hisire he should suffer them to fall to unrighteousness) that ever lightly the Princes of his people had sum Prophets or Priests their overseers, that might from time to time admonish them of their offences and enormities, but specially of their falling from God, & to denounce God's threatenings, yea and execute his sentence upon them: whom all righteous & godly princes did fear, reverence▪ honour▪ and obey, even as God's angels appointed for their custody; as contrariwise such as were wicked Tyrants not contented to be bridled by the almighty, did seek cruelly their death and destruction, that their disorders might pass with all liberty and licensiousnes, and without Gods own controlment in his life.  
Kings (I say) being not otherwise subject to superiors, and often impatient of admonition of their inferiors, may easily fall. Their fall must needs tend to the danger of whole countries. Therefore in respect of them namely, great power, courage, and freedom of speech were granted by God, aswell ordinarily to Priests, as extraordenarely to sum Prophets & religious persons in all ages, specially in the time of the new testament, as shall further be declared hereafter.  

Saul deposed.  Saul the first temporal king that the jews (than Gods peculiar people) had, though chosen and inspired by God, was led and directed by Samuel, so long as he was in order▪ but afterward for aspiring to spiritual function, & other disobedience, was by God's appointment and sentence pronounced against him, by the said Samuel deposed of his kingdom, and an other named David anointed by him in the life of the said Saul: who now after his deprivation and as it were after his excommunication, was invaded by an ill spirit, that provoked him, to kill not only him that was now made the rightful owner 
1. Reg. 22.  of his crown (as Elizabethe hath by God's permission accomplished her like devilish desires against the lady Marie Queen of Scotland) but also to seek for samuel's death his spiritual governor, yea and to command all the holy Priests of Nobee (finding none so wicked as to execute his will saving profane Doeg the Ido mite) to be cruelly slain as traitors and faverours of David the competitor of his kingdom. And so he stood many years against God, & kept the kingdom by tyrannical force not withstanding he was accursed and deprived as the pretenced hath done. David nevertheless (in whom was the right of the crown) was lawfully up in arms with one of the principal Priests that escaped the foresaid murthet, though not of such power as the pretenced king was▪ till at length 
Ang. con tra Ad.  the usurper whom he might lawfully have killed but for reverence of his former holy unction would not, being slain in battle, he obtained his right, first of a part of his kingdom and afterward of the whole, of which the said saul's son If boseth did for two years usurp a part by the pretended right of his father. By which example thou needest not now marvel that king Henry or his daughter should so long reign after their deprivation and excommunication, & be suffered to their own damnation, to execute cruelty upon the Bishops and Priests, yea & to kill them as traitors, whom they honoured for virtue and learning before, even such persons as any just king or commonwealth, would have bought and ransomed from death, by the worth of half a kingdom; or to commit other outrages, seeing the spirit of Satan entering into such by their excommunication, inciteth them to all mischief, and specially to hate God's Church & ministers, by whom Christ executeth his sentence against them.  

Hieroboan 1. Reg. 13. &. 14.  So did Hieroboam seek to apprehend the Prophet that threatened vengeance and destruction to him for his Schism, and separation of his people from the old ancient true worship of God in jerusalem, & for erecting of a new altar in bethel (In which all Schism and division from the Apostolic see is prefigured) and creating of nought, out of Aaron's order, new, hungry, base, and unordered Priests, the very pattern of all these contemptible ministers, put up out of the array, and lawful succession of Apostolic priesthood: A crime so highly afterward both in himself and his stock revenged, that none of his house was left to piss against a wall.  

〈◊〉 ●. Para●ip. 29.  Osias also like unto our disobedient kings, that can bear no function above their own, puffed up which pride would have executed spiritual function (a thing infinitely less than our pretenseds challenge of Ecclesiastical government) but valianty by Azarias and fourscore priests with him, assailed and thrust out of the temple, whilst he went a bout violently to resist, was stricken with a filthy leprosy, and so severed by the said priests authority (a figure also of the priests power to excommunicate in the new law) from the cumpainie of men and consequently from government, and the regiment of his realm and people committed to his son, whereby thou perceivest that priests also may use force to repress impiety, when the honour of God and his Church's necessity so require it.  

Athalia. 4. Reg. 11.  But the zeal and duty of God's priests is notably recommended unto us▪ in the case of Atha lias a wicked cruel Queen also; who to obtain the crown after Ochosias, killed all his Children, only one which by certain good women's piety was secretly stolen away, saved, and brought up within the temple for seven years space, all which time the said Queen usurped the kingdom, till at length joiada the high priest, calling to him forces both of the priests and people, proclaimed the right heir that was in his custody, anointed and crowned him king, and caused immediately the pretenced Queen to be slain, with her fautors, at the court gate, not withstanding they cried TREASON, TREASON▪ as not only just possessors, but wicked usurpers use to do. & this lo is the end of injust titles, & this is the zeal & authority of priests for the maintenance of righteousness & religion▪  

Achab and ●esabell. 3. Reg 18 & 19  No man can be ignorant with what courage and constancy Elias being sought to death by Achab & jesabel, that overthrew holy altars and murdered the true religious of the land, told them that they and their hous● were the subversion of Israel, and slew in his zeal all the Queen's false prophets four hundreth at one time, and so set up holy altars again. He spared 
4. Reg. 1.  not the Idolatrous king Ochosias his captains and messengers but destroyed them by fire from heaven, till the third captain was forced to humble 
4. Reg. 9  himself upon his knees unto him Elizeus also caused jehu to be consecrated king, & the house of Achab to lose their right to the kingdom, and his son Ioram to be slain; by whose commandment cursed jesabel was afterward thrown out of her chamber window in to the court, and after eaten of dogs, in the very same place where she had committed cruelty and wickedness before▪ This jesabel for sacrilege, contempt of holy priests, rebellion against God & cruelty, doth so much resemble our Elizabethe, that in most foreign countries and writings of strangers she is commonly called by the name of jesabel. I know not whether God have appointed her the like, or a better end.  

Maacha▪ 2. Par. 15.  Queen Maacha mother to good king Asaa was as ours is an apostata from the true faith, and in fleshly lust not unlike: for she erected openly and worshipped the filthy Venerius' statue of Priapus, and replenissed all her court & country with effeminate and amorous persons, and therefore was deposed from her regality by her own son (which the holy scriptures much commend in him) and the land purged of her whorish abomination.  
By all which we learn what crimes deserve in a prince, deposition: And how priests and prophets have been principal workers and Gods ministers in there deprivation. Whearin the prophet Ely was so notorious, that to his honour it is thus said of him in holy writ. He cast down kings 
Eccle. 48.  and destroyed them, and plucked the honourable from their seats. And of Elizeus in the same place, thus: He never feared prince, nor could of no man be overcum. And thus it was in the old testament.  
Now in the new testament where the priests have much more sovereign authoretie, & the prince far strairer charged to obey, love, and cherish the Church, the cause for us is much more clear: of which Church it is said, Kings 
Isa. 49. ●2. Isa. 60. Psal. 2.  shall be thy fosterfathers, and Queens thy nurses. And again: Kings breasts shall nurishe the, and every kingdom that serveth not the, shall utterly perish▪ In this Church without fail, is the supereminent power of Christ's preistehood, who with his iron rod bruiseth like a potsherd the pride 
jer. 1.  of princes that rebel against his holy spouse; and hath right in his Church over all kingdoms▪ to plant and to pluck up, to build and destroy; afore whom all kings shall fall down & all nations shall do him service.  

Matt. 16.  Now is Christ's priestly prerogative in most ample and exact terms comunicated to the chief priest and pastor of our souls, in other manner of clause than our pretenced monstrous spiritual governess can show for herself (fie on that secular pride and wilful blind heresy that so repugneth to God's express ordinance, and yet is wickedly upholden of her flatterers, though reproved both at home and abroad by the most notorious heretics & sect-masters of all sorts. Now all Christ's sheep without exception▪ be they princes, be they poor men if they be Christian men, are put to Peter's feeding 
I●an 21. Matt. 1●.  and government: now the keys of heave given to Christ's vicarr, to let in, to lock out, to bind, to loose, to pardon, to punish.  
Now we be commanded every one, be we 
Hebr. 13.  kings, be we Caesar's, to obey our prelate's & pastors, and to be subject (what Christian prince can except himself) to them, as to those that must make account for our souls. Now they have 
1. Cor. ●. 2 john 2 add ●●t. 3.  authority to forbid us the company of heretics, idolaters, & blasphemers; & not so much as to salute them, much more not to obey them.  

Act. 5.  Now we find by the experience of the Apostles practices and example of their usage, that not only our souls, but our bodies & goods, be in our pastors subjection, so far as is expedient to our soul's health, and the Church's utility, which the very order and course of nature requireth.  
Now S. Peter, for Sacralege and simulation, struck stark dead both man and wife by his word. Now did S. Paul strike blind Elimas' 
Act. 13.  the sorcerer for resisting God's truth. Now 
1. C●r. 4. 1. Cor. 5.  did he threaten to come to his contemners in rod of discipline. Now did he excommunicate a notable parsonage at Corinthe for incest: Not all only by spiritual punishment but by bodily vexation, giving him up to Satan's chastisement.  
Now he also by excommunication corporally molested by an evil spirit, for heresy and blasphemy, 
1. ad Timon▪ 1. 2. Cor. 10  Himeneus and Alexander. Now he hath authority to revenge all disobedience, and to bring under all lofty spirits, to the obedience of Christ.  

Apostolical power.  such lo now is the Apostolical force, and power of Christ's Preistehood in the new testament, so far above the authorety of earthly kings, as the sun is clearer than the moon, heaven above the earth, the Soul of man better than his body, and the common weal of the Catholic Church form by Christ, more excellent than any secular society ordained by man.  
Where were then these disordered laws and statutes, that make the Apostles, yea Christ himself, and all his priests that be borne out of England to be foreign powers? it was fifteen hundred years before kings ever conceived such wickedness, much less to challenge this monstrous spiritual regiment for lay men, children, and very women. But this was then enacted, this law stood them firm, and bindeth the highest potentate of the world if he bear the name of a Christian, aswell as the poorest person in earth: This I say, yfhe obey not, or hear not the 
Mat▪ 18.  Church, let him be taken for an Ethnic.  

Strugglinge of princes against spiritual power.  Yet such is the misery and perverseness of men, that in a cause so plain as this is, some kings have been found to struggle against the ordinance of God; and now oflate have had flatterers to say, yea and some so simple as to think, that they whom Christ at his departure hence, did endue with most ample commission, and 
john▪ vlt.  sent forth with that auctorety which his father had given unto him, have no power to denounce or declare▪ when princes be heretics or violaters of God's laws▪ Nor right to excommunicate them, nor to discharge the people of their oath and obedience, towards such as no Christian man by law of God or nature may lawfully obey. In which necessary point every studious and reasonable man may reform himself, aswell by the foresaid, as by the histories of the Church since Christ's time.  
And heir thou shalt find, strait upon the first conversion of kings to the faith▪ how they could not withdraw themselves from the Church's discipline▪ though both heretics and other of wicked life have always much repined, but ever were either driven to order & obedience, or in fine confounded.  
Almost thirteen hundreth years ago, Babylas bishop of Antioch, excommunicated the only Christian King or Emperor that 
Chrisost. in vita Babilae.  then was (as sum count, Numerius, as others Philip) for executing a prince that was put to him for an hostage: Whereupon, as ill Kings use to do, he martyred his Bishop; whom for that, S. Chrisostom and others reckon for the most famous martyr of that time. Whereby all true Bishops may learn, that it is their duty to chastise and excommunicate disobedient tyrants, whatsoever fall to their persons therefore. afterward holy Fabianus the Pope pursued the same Emperor, by like excommunication and other means, till at the length he brought him to repentance.  

Ser. li. 7. cap. 24.  afterward S. Ambrose Bishop of Milan with notable courage excommunicated the elder Theodosius 
Theod li. ●. ● 17▪ 19 Am●●l●. 5▪ ep● 28. Aug. de Ciu●●at. Dei lib. ●. cap. 26.  the Emperor, put him to eight months penance, and in the end forced him to make a law or provision against the like crime for which he was excommunicated.  
This was an other world (most dear countrymen) marvelous courage and zeal for God's cause, was then in priests; great humility and obedience in princes. Then was there no flatterers so shameful, nor no heretic on the earth so impudent, to make temporal Kings above all correction of God's Church & their own pastors, they having most need thereof yea above all others, when they pass the limits of justice & the laws of God.  

Nice. lib. ●3. c. 14. Georg. Patrtar. de vita Chrisost.  near this time again Innocentius the first, excommunicated Arcadius the Emperor & his wife Queen Eudoxia, for that they disobeyed and persecuted their Bishop S. Chrisostom. I will report the Iuditiall sentence briefly because it is much to the purpose, and full of majesty. O Emperor, the blood of my brother john Chrisostom crieth to God against the, thou hast cast out of his chair, the great Doctor of the whole world; and in him, by thy wives that delicate Dalida her persuasions, persecuted Christ: therefore (I though a poor sinful soul) to whom the throne of the great Apostle S. Peter is committed, do excommunicate the and her; and do suspend you both from the holy sacraments; comaundinge that no Priest nor Bishop, under pain of deprivation, after this my sentence come to their knowledge, give or minister the said sacraments unto you.  
Thus did this blessed father, whom Saint Augustine exceedingly commendeth in his time, handle that Emperor and wicked Queen which was the cause of her husbands fall and offences, and at length brought them to repentance.  
And when by process of time the Church became more potent, and some Princes were fallen to contempt of Religion, as it lightly happeneth by heresy or Apostasy; and that Excommunication or other ordinary ecclesiastical discipline would not serve being only spiritual penalty, and now not having ordinarily annexed that corporal vexation, executed by sathan upon excommunicate persons & therefore so much feared in the primative Church: then aswell the bishops & godly persons their own subjects, did crave aid and arms of other Christian Princes against them, as also the most holy and ancient Popes of Rome, did with all godly zeal incite the Catholic Kings to the same; that those whom the spiritual rod could not fruitfully chastise, might by external force be driven down, or to repentance of their disorder. There is no war in the world so just or honourable, as that which is waged for religion, whether it be foreign or civil: nor crime in the world deserving more sharp and zealous pursuit of extreme revenge, then falinge from the faith to strange religions, whether it be in the superior or subjects.  

2. Parali. 15.  Who so ever seek not after the lord God of Israel, let him be stain, from the highest to the lowest. said King Afa admonished by Azaria the Prophet. And again charge was given expressly in deuteronomy, to slei all false Prophets and 
Cap. 13.  their followers, were they never so near us by nature, and to destroy utterly all cities with their inhabitants, that were proved to follow new strange Gods or religions: Princes and rulers no more excepted, but much more punis able in this case then the people, as appeareth by God's commandment to Moses, that he should 
Num. ●●.  hang up all the Princes of Israel upon gallows against the sun, for communication in sacrifice with the Moabites; and the rest of the people every one by the hand of his neighbour, to be put to the sword for the same fault.  
As an other time by Moses appointment, the faithful Levites slew thirty three thousand of their nert neighbours, friends, and brethren, for committing Idolatry and forsaking the true 
2. Paral. cap 1●.  God: so just a quarrel is the defence of religion. For which also the Kings of juda, as Abia and others, fought most justly and prosperously against Hieroboam and other Kings of Israel, and justly possessed the cities which they conquered in the war; as also Edom and Lobna for 
2. Par.▪ 21.  religion, even because he forsook the God of his forefathers, did revolt from King joram and could never be recovered.  

joshua 22.  Wherein the example also and zeal of the children of Israel was very notable, that they would have denounced Battle against the tribe of Rubine and Gad, for erecting (as they took it) a Schismatical alter out of the only place, in which God appointed to be worshipped by Sacrifice. So did the Christian Armenians 
Euseb. li. 9 c. 8. 9  take arms, against Maximinus the Emperor for defence of their faith; So did Constantine against Maxentius the tyrant.  
By all which it is clear, that what people or person so ever be declared to be rebellious against God's Church, by what obligation so ever, either of kindred friendship, loialté, or subjection I be bound to them, I may or rather must take arms against them▪ nothing doubting but when my King or Prince hath broken with Christ, by whom and for defence of whose honour he reigneth, that then I may most lawfully break with him.  
So in old times of the primative Church, the Catholic people did often by arms, defend and keep their bishops in their seats, against the Infidels, and specially against the command meant of heretical Emperors: Yea and lawfully resisted them in the defence of theinr Churches and Church goods. So the people defended 
See Pruden▪ de monacho Antioch. Nazian. in etus laudibus lib. ●. epi. ipsius.  the Church of Antioch from the Emperor Galerius his officers. So they defended S. Basil in the like case. So they defended S. Ambrose.  
Provided nevertheless, always in this case, that we follow not our deceitful wills, as our adversaries do, condemning for God's enemies such Princes or persons as the holy Church (who must be ouriudge & informer in all these things) pronounceth and holdeth to be most just, godly, and Catholic kings: But then must we take them for heretics, when our lawful Bishops and pope's do so adjudge them to be, and so command us to take them yea and charge us to forsake them. Then be we sure in conscience, discharged of our oath & obedience, which be bands of such qualety and nature, that they hold not, nor have force, against justice, and where the matter is unlawful. And we have just cause to arm ourselves for defence of God's honour and our innocency, and to seek for succour at Popes and Princes hands.  

Theod. li▪ 2 cap 5. & 13. Soc. li. 1. cap 13. Soz. li▪ 4. ●rp. 7.  Yea Bishops of the country so oppressed, and so persecuted by heretical princes, should so specially do. For so did holy Athanasius (who knew his duty to his king and sovereign well enough, and when and where he might rise against him) ask aid against Constantius the Arian and first heretical Emperor (whom Pope Felix declared to be an heretic) of his own brother Constance the Catholic Emperor of the west. For fear of whose arms he restored Athanasius and other Catholic bishops to their Churches and honours again: But afterward, when the Caholike Constance was dead, the said emperors brother did more furiously persecute Athanasius for the same.  

Soc. lib. 4 cap. 16. 17 30. Sor. lib. 6 cap. 19  So against Valens the Arian Emperor, did Petrus, Athanasius his successor, brother to Saint Basil, seek to he Pope of Rome for succour, as all other bishops in like distresses ever did, that no man need to marvel why we have done the like now.  

Sol. 2▪ ca 18. Nice. lib. 14. ca.▪ 21  So did Atticus Bishop of Constantinople crave aid of Theodosius the younger, against the King of the Persians that persecuted his Catholic subjects, and was thereby forcibly deprived & the Catholics delivered. 
Leo epist. 7●. evang. ●i. 2. ca 8.   
So did holy Pope Leo the first persuade the Emperor called Leo also to take arms against the Tyrant of Alexandria, for the delivery of the oppressed Catholics from him and the heretics Eutychians, who then threw down monasteries, and did other great sacrileges, as ours now do and have done in England. O Emperor (said S. Leo) If it be laudable for thee to invade the heathens, how much more glory shall it be to deliver the Church of Alexandria from the heavy yoke of outrageous heretics, by the calamité of which Church, all the Churches in the world be injured. As at this time there is no Church in Europe, that feeleth not the smart of our English miseries.  

Lib. 1. epi. 72.  In brief, so did S. Gregory the first move Gen●dius the Exarke, to make wars against the heretics, as a very glorious thing: & so have ever all holy bishops of the primative Church done.  

Deposition of Princes for heresy.  For which crime of heresy and injuries done to God's Church, as for a fault most detestable, and most directly subject to their correction, they have specially intermeddled, aswell by way of excommunication, as by force procured for their 
De consideratione ad Eugen. li. 4.  deposition. For as saith Saint Bernard, though Pope's fight not in person, nor draw the sword themselves, yet it must be done at their commandment, where God's honour and our salvation require it. For religion therefore specially, though otherwise sometimes, Princes have been by Popes justly both excommunicated & otherwise punished for notorious crimes, namely when their own subjects require the Church's 
Rhegino anno 864.  aid and sentence therein; as king Lotarius brother to the Emperor Lewis the second, was excommunicated by Nicolas the first for divorcing 
Sigisber● Tr●●hem.  his lawful wife, and marrying a strumpet, and divers others for such like offences: yea & namely Popes have pursued in princes their fall from religion, & disobedience to God's Church, as a sin properly subject to their correction.  

Zon. in vita Leonis 3.  For heresy, was Leo the third both excommunicated, and deprived of all his temporallties in Italy, by Gregory the second.  

Chalc ō rerum turc. li. 1.  For heresy and Schism, were the Greek discharged, and the Empire thereby translated to the Germans, by Pope Leo the third: and like wise divers Germane Emperors for injuries done 
Tho. 2. 2. quest. 12. art. 2.  to God's Church, and for heresy, by sundry holy Popes have been brought to order, as Henry the fourth, Fredrick the first, Otho the first, Fredrick the second, Lewis the third, & many other.  

Bonifa. Dec. 4.  For heresy was George king of Bohem excommunicated, & there upon by the forces of the king of Hungary finally deprived: As John Albert 
Guy. lib. 2. Honuf. in vita ●ulij secundi. Polid. lib. 15.  had half of his kingdom of Navarre taken from him, by Ferdinandus surnamed Catholicus, King of Arragon, because he gave aid to Lewis the xii. then excommunicated by julius the second.  
For shameful injuries done to the holy Church, and for persecution of Bishops & religious, was john one of our kings of England with his whole country Interdicted, and at length forced to yield his crown and dominions to the courtesy of the Pope's legate, as afore is mentioned.  

Nubrig. lib. z. c. 25. & 34.  For like causes, and namely for being accessary to the murder of the blessed Bishop S. Thomas of Caunterbury, was Henry the second driven by Alexander the third, to order & penance.  
Henry the eight also, for more horrible waste and desolation of Religion, wherein he far surmounted all his ancestors, and all other that ever we read of since the time of Julian the Apo stata: for arrogating the title of supreme head of the Church, and forcing all his people to swear to his folly, and that his concubine Anne Bullen was their Queen and his lawful wife: for most cruel slaughter of Catholic bishops, priests, religious and lay men: for infringing and utterly abolishing against his own oath, all the privileges and liberties, granted to the Church of England by holy King Edward and other his forefathers: for destroying all holy houses of Religion▪ and sacrilegiously invading all their goods and possessions: for marrienge, remarringe, changing, divorcing and killing of his wives, when, where▪ and whom he list: 
Honuf. in vita Pau li tertij.  for these and such like unspeakable outrages, he was excommunicated by Paulus tertius as hath before been declared.  

elizabeth excommunicated and deprived anno 1570.  And now lastly, not only for injust intrusion and usurpation, but also for the foresaid crimes, and following her said supposed fathers ways (who was radix peccati of our days, and offended the more grievously, because he first compelled the people of God to Schism and sin, as jeoroboam did the Israelites) this woman was by good Pius Quintus excommunicated and deprived, and all her subjects discharged of oath and obedience towards her, with charge eftsoons to all the subjects of the realm of England, or other her dominions, that from thence forth under like pain of excomunicatio and Gods & holy Churches curse, they shuold not acknowledge her for their Princesle or superior, nor obey, defend and maintain her, but according to every one's power and habillite, to cocurr to her deposition and condign punishment.  

Executiŏ of the en●en●e deferred.  Which sentence most holy, just, and dread full, though hitherto it have not been openly pursued, partly by reason of the decease of Pius Quintus the publisher, which ensued not long after; and partly for that the usurpers forces, rage, and cruelty were so great, that they could hardly be resisted by the only inhabitans of the realm, without evident danger & destruction of very many noble & godly persons, in which case the church's censures so far as they concern only temporal matters, by the meaning of him that gave the sentence, doth not bind; & lastly for that his holiness that now is (as his predecessors before him) having exceeding tender care not only of our souls but of our bodies & goods also, have hitherto tolerated in us, our enforced subjection and obedience to her in civil affairs▪ specially upon expectation, and hope, that she would after so long and fatherly sweet patience of the supreme pastors of our souls, at the request of so many prince's Christian, at the pitiful suits, cries, clamours, & complaints of so many of her own people, for the bludd of so many men meekly yielded and the inconsolable complaints of so many afflicted consciences, either acknowledge her fault, incline to mercy towards the Catholics, and seek (as her supposed father desired to do in the end of his life) to reconcile herself to the Church, or to come to sum good order at least with the see Apostolic, and grant her Catholic nobibility and people, leave to serve God after their conscience, and manner of all their forefathers. Though (I say) for all these causes and other more, the former judicial sentence hath not been all this while executed, yet now our holy father Sixtus the fift, seeing this usurper and excomunicate person, to be nothing moved eitherwith pity of the people, or Apostolic authority, but still obstinately and obdurately to persist, and proceed in all her former mischiefs & wickedness, could not contain or sorbeare any longer, not only himself to employ against so monstrous and pernicious an heretic, rebel, usurper, and firebrand of all mischief, the treasures spiritual and temporal, that the Omnipotent God hath given him for maintenannce of justice, innocency, and religion; but also by the foresaid examples of his predecessors & other holy bishops, and by a special canon of the great 
De ●eret. cap. 3.  general Counsel of Laterane touching the chastisement of princes that will not purge their do minions of heresy and heretics, hath seriously dealt with the chief and greatest princes of his Christian Catholic communion, that they would give succurse to their afflicted brethren & confede rates, & join together with him their supreme pastor, for chastisement of that wicked woman▪ the bane of Christendom and all their kingdoms, the scoorge of God, and rebuke of womankind; as in this case every one would have been most ready, had they not beneforced at this time, to employ all their forces against the heretics & rebels of their own dominions, & therefore hath specially entreated Philip the high and mighty King Catholic of Spain, that for the greatness of power given him by the almighty, for his singular love towards that nation whereof by marriage of Holy Queen Marie of blessed memory he once was king, for the old love and league betwixt the said country and the house of Burgogne, for the infinite injuries and dishonours done to his majesty and people by Elizabethe, and to conclude for his special piety and zeal towards God's house and the See Apostolic, together with the consideration of the fresh barbarous murder of his confine the Queen of Scotland, by which the sacred honour and name of Kingly dignity is dishonoured, and all lawful princes highly interested; that for these and many other causes, his majesty would take upon him in the name of God almighty, this sacred and glorious enterprise. Who at length, aswell by this his Holiness authority and exhortation, as by his own unspeakable zeal and piety, moved also not a little by my humble and continual suit together with the afflicted and banished Catholics of our nation, of all and every degree, who have been by his special compassion and Regal munificence principally supported in this their long exile, hath consented at last, & taken upon him this so holy and glorious an act, to the only honour of God, the benefit of the Christian world, and your delivery (my good brethren) from the yoke of heresy and thraldom of your enemies, and for restitution of those realms and the subjects of the same to their ancient liberty of laws and conscience. For which causes his majesty hath in the name of the lord God of Hosts, commanded sufficient royal and main forces both by sea & land to be gathered, and to be conducted in to our country (if need be, and if the pretenced and principal offender will not otherwise come to order) by the most Godly & valorous General, and Captains that be of his majesties service in all Christendom.  
Of whose proceeding in this action, & aswell of his holiness as his majesties intention & meaning therein, we are to advertife you all, by these presents, and to forewarn you against all false slanderous and seditious speeches of the enemies, and heretics, by which they have many years and in wonderful manner deluded some strangers, to their undoing, & the ruin of their countries; And to comfort you against all other popular fears of the simple sort: that neither the conquest of the land, dispossessing of the English; destruction of Catholics; ruin of ancient houses; abolishing of our old laws liberties or customs, is purposed; nor any other annoyance or alteration in the world to be made, saving so much as the estates of the realm shall agree upon with his holiness, and Majesty, for the restitution and preservation of the Catholic religion, and necessary punishment of the pretended. Assuring you all (my most dear countrymen) by my honour, and in the word of a Cardinal, that there shall be as great care had of every Catholic & penitent person, as possibly can be, for that is the Pope and kings express will and pleasure.  
Whereof you may all be the more secure, that his majesty hath appointed for the execution of this affair, so worthy, fortunate, and victorious a Prince, no less renowned for his piety mercy, and clemency (whereof you have seen these years, hard by you, so many examples) them for his valour & manifold victories, obtained against the Churches and the kings rebels▪ As on the otherside, for your like security, one of the worthiest peers of Spain, for valour, virtue, & sweetness of nature, & with him a great number of the flower of that nobility, who have no need of any thing of yours, are appointed for your succour, that if by your fault or mishap, the matter should come to a battle, they might after the victory, over rule and restrain the fury of the Common soldiers, lest they should ruin and sack the whole country.  
And for the same cause, his Holiness hath also, not for my deserts, but of special care and love of our nation preferred me, being of your flesh and blood, to this high function; intending to send me as his Legate, with full commission & commandment, to treat and deal from time to time, aswell with the states of the realm, as with his holiness, and the kings majesty for the sweeter maneginge of this godly and great affair, and with them to deliberate of all the best means, how with the least damage of our country, nobility, and gentry, and best preservation of the whole people, this godly purpose of restoring the Catholic religion, and putting the realm in order (aswell for the title of the crown as other controversies that may fall, betwixt the Church and the common wealth, or any member thereof, for what matter so ever, since the time that heresy, schism, & disorder began) may be acheived.  
Therefore having now through God's merci full goodness, full and sufficiét help for your happy reconcilement to Christ's Church, and to deliver yourselves, your country, & posterité, from that miserable servitude of body & soul which you have so long been in for the more easy achieving of this godly designment, and for your better information: his Holiness confirmeth, reneweth, and reviveth, the sentence declaratory of Pius Quintus of blessed memory, and the Censures of all other his predecessors, and every branch clause and article of them, against the said Elizabeth, aswell concerning her illegitimation, and usurpation, and inability to the Crown of England, as for her excommunication and deposition in respect of her heresy, sacrilege, and abominable life: And dischargeth all men from all other obedience, l●altie, and fidelity towards her; requiring and desiring in the bowels of Christ, and commanding under pain of excommunication and other penalties of the law, and as they look for the favours and protection to them and theirs, afore promised, and will avoid the Pope, kings, and the other princes high indignation, that no man of what degree or condition so ever, obey, abetter, aid, defend, or acknowledge her for their prince, or superior, but that all and every one, according totheir quality, calling, and habillitie, immediately upon intelligence of his Holiness will, by these my letters, or otherwise, or at the arrival of his Catholic Majesties forces, be ready, to join to the said army, with all the powers and aids they can make, of men, munition, and victuals, to help towards the restoring of the Catholic faith, and actual deposing of the usurper, in such sort and place, as by the chief manegers of this affare, and the General of this holy war shall be appointed, for the best advancement of the cause.  
In which case, upon especial desire I have to preserve and continue all your noble Names & Famelies, being loath that for the offence of the present possessors the whole house should perish, or any other suffer, but the offenders themselves: Promise to make humble supplication in your behalf, that the honours and possessions of all such offenders, may dissende to the next hei res of that name and blood, so that he or theycan be proved to join with the Catholic army, with all the forces and friends they can make, immediately upon knowledge had of this present, and means to accomplish their desire.  
Now therefore, My lords and dear Cuntrymen, if you list follow this God's ordinance, and happy provision that he hath of his great mercy, made for your honours, liberty, and salvation; If you without delay join yourselves, as God, conscience, and nature bindeth you; If you take part one with an other in so Godly and honourable a quarrel, you shall attain your purpose without all bloodshed: where otherwise if you should either sit still, or refuse to help or sever yourselves one from an other, or any of you seek to uphold (which God forbidden) the usurper or her complices, being thus cursed by the Church, and forsaken of God and of all good men; you that so do, shall first incur the Angels curse and malediction upon the inhabitants 
judi▪ 5.  of the land of Meros', who sat still, and would not help God nor venture their lives in his quarrel; and secondly be as deeply excommunicated as she is, and so you shall be guilty of your own ruin▪ and the blood of the people, and yet shall not prevail.  
You shall fieghte against God, & against his anointed, against your next lawful king, against truth, faith, religion, conscience, and your dear country: you shall bootless defend, yea to your own present destruction and eternal shame, a most injust usurper, and open injurer of all nations; an infamous, deprived, accursed, excomunicate heretic; the very shame of her sex, & princely name; the chief spectacle of sin and abomination in this our age; And the only poison calametie and destruction of our noble Church and Country.  
Fight not, for God's love, fight not, in that quarrel, in which if you die, you are sure to be damned: fight not against all your ancestors souls, and faith, nor against the salvation of all your dearest, wives, children, and what so ever you would well to, either now or in the time to come. Match not yourselves against the highest: this is the day no doubt of her fall, this is the hour of God's wraths towards her and all her partakers▪ Forsake her therefore betime, that you be not enwrapped in her sins, punishment, and damnation. Trust me, there was never any persecutor of the Church, but in himself or his next seed, he came to shame and confusion. Remember the end of Antiochus, jason, jesabel, Iulian, Valeus, and of other the Apostatous and heretical Emperors, with such like usurpers and oppressers of God's Church, how speedily they passed to eternal ignominy.  

Cunforts▪ and helps of the Catholic part.  On the otherside, you most noble & valiant Champions of God's Church, the honour of English kinghtehood & the deffenders of the glory and liberties thereof, you, and all the blessed people, to whom God hath given so happy a lote, zeal and courage, to fight for your father's faith, for your countries liberty, for Christ, for religion, and for the dread sovereign sacraments of our salvation; the honourablest quarrel, the likeliest and most commendable cause, in the sight of the present world, and the posterity, that possibly can be. If you win, you save your whole realm from subversion, & innumerable souls, present and to come, from damnation; If you die, you be sure to be saved, the blessing of Christ & his Church, the pardon of his Holiness, given to all, in most ample sort, that either take arms, die, or any way duly endeavour in this quarrel. The prayers of all Christian people, which be publicly promulgated for your safety & good success: The blood of all the blessed Bishops, religious, priests, and lay-men, shed in that land, cry to God at this hour for your victory, and vengeance to your enemies their perseoutors: All the Saints in heaven, whose holy Churches, bodies, and memories, your enemies have spoiled and profaned, make now instant suit for your happy success. All the virtuous priests of your country, who by the long Tyramnic of this time, have suffered manifold miseries & martyrdoms, both at home & abroad, to save their own souls, and win their decrest countrymen to salvation, they also stretch forth their consecrated hands night and day for your victory, and be present divers of them to serve every man's spiritual necessity, by Confession, Counsel, and all Consolation in Christ jesus, giving you testimony by their readiness to live and die with you, how just the cause of this holy fight is, and how happy and glorious is the blood that shall be shed therein.  
With these blessed patrons both in heaven & earth; with the guard of all Gods holy Angels; with our blessed Saviour himself in the sovereign Sacrament, present among you to your protection, communicating comfort & courage; and with the daily most holy oblation of Christ's own dear body and blood, making more forcible intercession from the earth for you, than the blood of Abel; with so many divine unspeakable helps; if you were never so few you could not lose: without these & against these holies, our enemies (be they never so fierce, never so proud, never so many, never so well appointed) then can not prevail, fear you not, they can not. Though never so great show be made, never so many raised against you, because most of them be Catholiltes or notoriously injured by heretics, they be armed for us, they can not strike, they will not fight against their own consciences, be bold of it, they will not. Many others of them be indifferent, of neither, or no religion; whose wit and wariness will be such in this extremity, and in so just cause to desire a Change, that where by overthrow of the heretics many shall be advanced, and by their good success no man bettered, in so great hazard of things, they will never adore the sun setting, nor follow the declining fortune of so filthy, wicked, and illiberal a Creature, or her so base and dishonourable leaders: who also have been at deadly variance among themselves these many years, and sum of them mortally hating their master's, will never omit this opportunity to be delivered of her, and revenged one of an other.  
The rest of them that be pure zealous heretics, which be very few in comparison, & not very well contented neither, with the former regiment, of all men in the world most effeminate, delicate, and least expert in the wars: the Angel of God will persecute them, and they shall fly in fear and torment of their own wicked minds, though none pursue them.  
You may all remember how the late great traitor the Duke of Northumberland, was in the height of his pride and power forsaken of all his men, and forced to yield to a poor desolate Catholic lady. All the world knoweth how the like usurper Richard the third, being most worthily in the very field and feighte abandoned of the nobility and people, was made an example of God's ire towards all tyrants and usurpers.  
But how so ever it fall out through the sins of the people at home, the Catholic forces are strong enough, their provision sufficient, their appointment passing, more expert Captains than the enemy hath good soldiers, all resolute to die, not available for any to fly away, all exceedingly encouraged by the equity of the cause, & wonderfully confirmed by God's mercies so oft in our days showed in all quarrels of the Catholic religion.  
These fifty years there was never Catholic army which stood to it, but had the victory: by mistrusting God, by overmuch trusting man, by flying or avoiding the battle, by yeildinge or compounding, sundry great & Godly attempts have been frustrated: but in manly and confident combating for God and the Church, none at all.  
Call to mind the miraculous victories of Charles the fift, subduing all the powrable Lutheran princes in Germany, to his & the Catholic Church's obeisance, with passing small forces, and in a few years or rather months space, the enemies being almost innumerable. Remember the three famous battles that the Catholic Cantons and people of the Swisers, being in number, power, & provision, much inferior to the other; obtained by God's special grace, & justice of the cause, against the Swinglians their Neighbours, in one of which Swinglius himself was slain, and in every one a marvelous number of heretics, and of Catholics so few, that in such inequality of human helps, God must needs be the extraordinary worker of the same.  
Read the Histories of France, and see whether the Catholics have not had in manner, always, miraculous victories against the Caluinists: among many, the fights at Druse, at larnabe, at Saint Denis, at Mountcounter, and specially the merciful work of God this last year, whereby we saw the huge forces aswell of Germans as Swisers, by God's mighty arm and very small aid of man, wonderfully defeated.  
Recount furthermore all the famous and fortunate rencounters, of a very few Catholics against the heretics and rebels in Flanders: as at Grooning, at Mock, at Mounts, at Antwerp, at jemblous, and many other conflicts, where without loss almost at all, many thousands of Gods and the kings enemies have been cut in pieces, our lord God no doubt combating with his people against his enemies, as he did against Senacharib, Nicanor, and other mentioned in holy writ.  
Which (thing most noble and valiant gentle men of England) may give you courage and comfort from God himself, even the lord God of Hosts, to adventure yourselves in a quarrel most honourable, in a cause that the divine Majesty hath showed himself, not only in other ages, but even in all our eyes & memories to have singular care of, In a case of the extrea most necessity of our just defence and arms, that ever any Christian people had, or can have.  
Thus much, my good lords and most dear friends, I have thought good to forewarn you of the whole cause of these present sacred wars, and of his Holiness and Catholic majesties sincere intention therein; and both their incomparable affections towards our Nation, whereof I could give you far more comfortable intelligence, if I were personally present with you, as I trust I shallbe very shortly, for that is fully meant by our Holy father and his majesty, and of me so much desired, that every short day seemeth a long year, till I enjoy you in our lord, though in the mean time I stand here wholly for your service; wherein as I have spent these many years of my banishment, so would I now as God shall appoint, and need require, bestow my blood & the remnant of my life, among you in my dearest country, for the better accomplishment of that which all true Christians and Godly English hearts do desire.  
Our lord God bless and direct you all to follow that in this action, and in all your life that shall be most agreeable to his glory our countries good, & your own honour and salvation.  
From my lodging in the Palace of. S. Peter in Rome this 28. of April. 1588. The Cardinal.